So with all matches but the very last one played, there are plenty of nervy situations to be played out. Of course there are also quite a few meaningless matches out there and a few just to decide who tops a group rather than who actually goes thru. Regardless, here is how it all settled after the smoke cleared.

With the fates of both teams pretty much decided, there was not much at risk here in this match. Harris FC at this point was simply playing for pride, and a Sörbyängen win meant they won the group but they have already punched their ticket to the knockouts. And that was pretty evident today with both managers opting for the 451 in hopes of just controlling possession and limiting anything too risky. The only goal here was the result of an unfortunate Own goal from Harris FC defender Paulica Butea who tried to clear a dangerous cross behind but only managed to head it right under the bar and in. Sörbyängen’s Sigurd Öberg couldn’t have done it better himself.

This was the match where all the tension resided. A home draw for Armonia saw them thru, while Real Manchester needed all of the points to go thru. The Armonia fans at El Fortin Bahiense made the environment as hostile as possible; flares going off, flags waving, and drums pounding for the duration of the match. And it looked excellent for them early thanks to a cracking long range effort from Rodrigo Bilardo. The second half saw the momentum swing to the visitors with their fate looming over them like the sword of Damocles. The equalizer came in the 86th minute thanks to a Rami Vurpiainen breakaway, but it was too little too late for the visitors as the draw sees them fall just short.

Both teams here are going thru no matter what, but Hammarslag could take over Jokkmokk as the group winner if they managed the away win. But nothing really happened here worth nothing (2 chances, no cards, and no injuries) and both sides move onto the knockouts unscathed, Jokkmokk as the group winners.

So since we knew our two from this group before kickoff, you would have excused these two sides from not putting much effort into this match due to the fact that the attention must be focused elsewhere in hopes of getting back here next season. Stormtroopers were the early darlings of the XCL, but since then they have taken a tumble. And today was no different as they could not overcome the stronger Gunnarn IK. Hopefully next season they can make it back.

Ballbreakers are thru no matter what happens, but could still lose the top spot in the group should they lose this one by 2 goals or more. On the other side of the pitch, Amcik still needed to worry about underdogs Cyberjaya nipping at their heels. The match started slow with neither team really building anything meaningful until right before the half when Mikko Jalonen timed an excellent run to get on the end of Oliver Bonham’s expertly placed ball to make it 0-1 Ballbreakers in the 44th minute. It is as if at halftime the home side’s life flashed before their eyes and they realized that a loss here would be catastrophic. Manager Erixa went to the sound guy and told him to play Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” for the team to come out to after halftime, and sure enough it helped the home side buck up their ideas. In the 57th minute, Joseph Summerbell tied it up and no less than 2 minutes later saw Metin Koyun make it two to give the home side the smallest of advantages. Then in the 70th minute, Metin Koyun again busted thru the offside trap and slotted another one away to take it to 3-1! The fans in full voice now! But it was short-lived as Emile Pidgely helped Ballbreakers recover nicely in the 72nd minute thru a chance from a corner. This left the last 20 minutes very nervy for Amcik and their fans, but they managed to keep the Ballbreaker onslaught in check and book their place in the knockouts!

No bones about it, Cyberjaya needed to win to have any chance at advancing. But while Flamenco were on the bottom of the pile, they weren’t exactly pushovers in the group, recording 3 draws up to this point. The first half went by with only one chance to the visitors and not much else. But then in the 63rd minute, the long range piledriver of Ted Vanheden was all but willed into the net by the singing fans! 1-0 to the home team, and the dream was alive! But the visitors weren’t going to just hand it to them and in the 83rd minute Flamenco were awarded a corner…and Gotthard Söderkvist rose above the rest in the area and headed it home to suck the wind out from the Cyberjaya sails for good.

Kcnr1 made it very clear to me after my round 5 article that I was wrong about him and his side The Dø, as they wanted the top spot and BAD. The Sultans of Samba were going to join them in the knockouts no matter what and the only team that gave them any sort of trouble in the XCL so far this season was The Dø, so revenge was on the mind for the Sultans. As the Samba giants love to do, they turned on the style with their trademarked 343 formation. But Kcnr1 seemed to have seen this coming, the 433 the perfect counter formation chosen. And it proved an excellent choice, as they score 2 goals in the space of 3 minutes in the first half in the 29th and 32nd minutes respectively. But the Sultans countered almost instantly in the 33rd thru a long range effort. Then as the referee was putting the whistle to her lips, Gianluca Di Sole flew into the area to head in the Antonio Filippini cross to make it 1-3 at the half. Then early in the 2nd half, Juluano Castelhano brought down Tommaso Rocchi who looked all alone, or was there another man back? Constance Paine had already made up her mind however and showed the defender a straight red! An agonizing decision for the Sultans, as this meant they had to play the rest of the match with only 2 defenders! And as expected, the flood gates poured open with The Dø pummeling the opposition with chances and when the dust all settled it revealed a 2-8 mauling as the final result. So The Dø got the top spot that they wanted and the Sultans will have to settle for 2nd best.

This one was as dead rubber as dead rubber can be. With both teams having absolutely nothing to play for and neither with the most impressive campaigns this season, this one could have been a real snoozer. But Trosorna decided to put on a display for their fans and recorded 4 goals, 3 in the last 10 minutes to vanquish the East Mids Canaries. Better luck next time for both managers should they qualify next season!

The Azzurra have been magical all season in the XCL, and nothing was going to keep them out of the top spot in the group. That said, there was still a lot to be played for on the Cheesebay side of things, as a win could do wonders for them if Öllöv managed to lose or draw. Unfortunately we saw none of that urgency in the away side and with everything all sewn up, the Azzurra could not be bothered to entertain anyone and this one ended 0-0 with very little to discuss. The draw for Cheesebay means that they need Generic to pull off the victory in their match with Öllöv in order for them to advance.

With Generic simply playing for pride, it was there for Öllöv to win and ensure that they went thru. But it seemed the pressure of the occasion was too much for them in the first half as neither team found the breakthrough. Then early in the second half it was the away side who broke the deadlock with a Rocky Fischman breakaway. The groans could be heard in the stadium, as the Cheesebay draw was on the scoreboard in the stadium and if Öllöv lost, they were out as things stood. Then call it a break in concentration or idiotic complacency, but Brian Sandberg passed the ball right past his GK who was charging to the ball and the result was an embarrassing Own goal. But this Own goal saw Öllöv thru and the Cheesebay fans left wondering what could have been.

Gardenia were thru, and had the edge over West Ham Boys if both ended up tied on points. So it is a testament to their character that they still were able to put on quite a show for their home fans. Wing plays were on display today, as the Gardenia aerial dominance shone thru with 11th, 21st, and 82nd minute goals all from the noggins. The win just solidified their position atop the group and also marked the end of the boring results that this group had been producing all season.

It isn’t too much of a surprise here to see Tigrovi turn over the West Ham Boys at this point, as the Golden League double winners were already thru. But a 3-0 thrashing was probably something Krazy_galah would rather like to forget. Laosovi recorded their first goal in the 31st thru a Miso Jelic breakaway and followed it up shortly after with a Faron Gonzalez header in the 41st. Then on the other side of halftime the home side added more insult to injury with a Domingos Cordeiro long range effort. The win was nothing more than a moral victory for Tigrovi, who are out despite the effort.

This was the group that most of the neutrals were probably watching as now global number 2 Duffster was fighting for his life against 2-time XCL champion Nobego to see who would go thru. The Perishers needed to slip up for Duff’s Led Zeppelin to be able to make it, but first Zeppelin needed to see off cellar dwellers Spilsby Town Allstar. Things started out rosy for Zeppelin, as Kegan Corr sprung the offside trap and rounded the keeper to pass it into the net to open the scoring in the 4th minute. In the 20th minute the advantage was doubled with Kenny Dingle losing his marker and heading in an easy one. The score stayed 0-2 until the last 10 minutes, when two more headed goals flew by the keeper. Zeppelin had done their part, now they needed group winners City to hold off the Perishers.

Nobego knew that if he let up the gas at this point that his friendly rival Duffster and his Led Zeppelin side would most likely cruise right past them. City were a bit weakened by injuries and as such fielded an unorthodox 523 formation which was probably their undoing in this one as the Perishers were able to dominate the possession and chances very easily with their 352. The scoring was opened by the home side in the 13th minute thru a Nick Reuterwall header and the tie was sealed in the 85th minute thanks to a Niklas Centergren breakaway. They had done it! The Perishers persevered and Nobego is now able to go for an unprecedented 3rd XCL title!

With both teams thru, all there was to be decided in this one is who would go top. And away side Skultorp looked the hungrier early as Kepa Areta scored a nifty lob header in the 1st minute as many fans were still getting settled. Santos had the answer though and were able to respond in kind with a Fabio Bernardi finish in the 28th minute. So the draw means that Santos F.C. win the group and I will admit I had to check the rules to see why since everything about the teams was the same. From the rules: The teams in a series play each other twice, which means every team plays the other teams home and away. The position of teams in a series is decided as follows:1. Points.2. Goal difference.3. Goals scored.4 Wins.If all the above are equal the position is decided on the league table based on away games only. So since Santos won the away contest between these two teams, they are the group winners.

The other match was a dead rubber affair and with nothing to play for, Benfas was the team that showed more grit as they broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute thru a Carl-Henrik Sunnerhage breakaway. So a nice consolation victory for Benfas FC but now both teams will have to hustle to make it back here next season.

So congrats to everyone involved in this season’s Group Stage, but now it is time for the top teams to fight it out to see who the best is! Next week will mark another edition of the Think Tank analysis to go along with more detailed match reports of all 8 matches! Good luck to everyone involved!